Seasonal Variability of a Caryophyllane Chemotype Essential Oil of Eugenia patrisii Vahl Occurring in the Brazilian Amazon

Eugenia patrisii Vahl is a native and non-endemic myrtaceous species of the Brazilian Amazon. Due to few botanical and phytochemical reports of this species, the objective of the present work was to evaluate the seasonal variability of their leaf essential oils, performed by GC and GC-MS and chemometric analysis. The results indicated that the variation in oil yields (0.7 ± 0.1%) could be correlated with climatic conditions and rainy (R) and dry seasons (D). (E)-caryophyllene (R = 17.1% ± 16.0, D = 20.2% ± 17.7) and caryophyllene oxide (R = 30.1% ± 18.4, D = 14.1% ± 19.3) are the major constituents and did not display significant differences between the two seasons. However, statistically, a potential correlation between the main constituents of E. patrisii essential oil and the climatic parameters is possible. It was observed that the higher temperature and insolation rates and the lower humidity rate, which are characteristics of the dry season, lead to an increase in the (E)-caryophyllene contents, while lower temperature and insolation and higher humidity, which occur in the rainy season, lead to an increase in the caryophyllene oxide content. The knowledge of variations in the E. patrisii essential oil composition could help choose the best plant chemical profile for medicinal purposes.     

Isotopic Liftings of Clifford Algebras and Applications in Elementary Particle Mass Matrices

Isotopic liftings of algebraic structures are investigated in the context of Clifford algebras, where it is defined a new product involving an arbitrary, but fixed, element of the Clifford algebra. This element acts as the unit with respect to the introduced product, and is called isounit. We construct isotopies in both associative and non-associative arbitrary algebras, and examples of these constructions are exhibited using Clifford algebras, which although associative, can generate the octonionic, non-associative, algebra. The whole formalism is developed in a Clifford algebraic arena, giving also the necessary pre-requisites to introduce isotopies of the exterior algebra. The flavor hadronic symmetry of the six u,d,s,c,b,t quarks is shown to be exact, when the generators of the isotopic Lie algebra are constructed, and the unit of the isotopic Clifford algebra is shown to be a function of the six quark masses. The limits constraining the parameters, that are entries of the representation of the isounit in the isotopic group SU(6), are based on the most recent limits imposed on quark masses.     

Lorentz violation in the linearized gravity

We study some physical consequences of the introduction of a Lorentz-violating modification term in the linearized gravity, which leads to modified dispersion relations for gravitational waves in the vacuum. We discuss two possible mechanisms for the induction of such a term in the Lagrangian. First, it is generated at the quantum level by a Lorentz-breaking coupling of the gravity field to a spinor field. Second, it appears as consequence of a particular modification of the Poisson algebra of the canonical variables, in the spirit of the so-called “noncommutative fields approach”.     

The production and destruction of the C-related 969 meV absorption band in Si

Data are reported on the production of the 969 meV absorption line as functions of the carbon concentration and radiation dose in FZ and CZ silicon. With increasing dose of 2 MeV electrons the absorption first increases and then decreases. Simple equations are presented which describe the growth and decay. It is shown that, in favourable circumtances, carbon concentrations as low as 10¹⁴ cm⁻³ can be detected in silicon by means of the 969 meV absorption line. We verify that the 969 meV line anneals out at temperatures >500 K but may increase between 450 and 500 K. We show that the increase is largest in samples irradiated at room temperature to a small dose relative to the carbon concentration.     

The Convergence Analysis of the Decomposition Method for the (1+1)-Parabolic Problem in Nonuniform Media

A modified Adomian decomposition method is used to find approximate solutions for the reaction diffusion convection equation in nonuniform medium, i.e., with space-dependent coefficients. In this approach, the solutions are found in the form of a convergent power series with easily computed components. Convergence analysis of modified Adomian series solution for a class of these type of PDEs is discussed.     

Elemental distribution by synchrotron X-ray microfluorescence of prostate 3D cell culture

Prostate cancer is a highly prevalent disease and ranks second among malignant neoplasms that affect men around the world, behind lung cancer alone. Trace elements are very important and are involved in many cellular processes. The X-ray microfluorescence technique is an advanced tool of high spatial resolution, sensitivity, multielemental analysis, and nondestructiveness for trace element study. This study aimed to investigate the elemental distribution in spheroids obtained through the following human prostate cell lines using synchrotron X-ray microfluorescence: tumor cell line androgen independent (DU145), tumor cell line androgen dependent (LNCaP), and normal cell line (RWPE-1). The measurements were performed with a standard geometry of 45° of incidence, excited by a white beam using a pixel of 25 μm and an acquisition time of 300 ms/pixel at the X-ray fluorescence beamline at the Synchrotron Light National Laboratory (Campinas, Brazil). The synchrotron X-ray microfluorescence results showed differences between groups in all elements analyzed and suggested that further studies should be performed to understand the relationship of these trace elements with the progression and development of the disease.     

Evaluation of Polyphenols in Wine by Voltammetric Techniques with Screen Printed Carbon Electrodes

The electrochemical oxidation processes that occur during a voltammetric assay in wine samples lead to the formation of species that obstructs the surface and reduce their active area. This effect is critical for screen printed carbon electrodes (SPCE) and leads to abnormal low values of the total polyphenols content of wines, ca. 72 % lower than those obtained with glassy carbon electrodes. This effect was examined using 10 red and Port wine samples. Mechanical polishing and electrochemical‐based treatments for the removal of this fouling layer were tested. The best results were obtained by electrochemical activation in at a constant potential of 1.2 V during 100 s Na₂CO₃ saturated solution, and by polishing. The success of some of these treatments brings an added value to SPCE, as it opens the possibility of their reuse in the wine analysis. This outcome is particularly relevant for quality control where a huge number of analysis is performed and the reduction of cost may dictates the choice of the analytical method.